Steam power plant



Feb. 29, 1944. M, BQLAR 2,343,105

STEAM POWER PLANT Filed Nov. 2, 1942 Patented F eb. 29, 1944 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE STEAM POWER PLANT James M. Bolar, Hayward, Calif. Application November 2, 1942, Serial No. 464,261

4 Claims.

This invention relates to steam power plants and has particular reference to steam generating plants, such as are employed on ocean going vessels and especially those of the freighter type, which employ a main engine for propelling the boat from port to port and a large number of auxiliary engines for operating pumps, hoists, etc., some of which are only used while in port, and have a surface condenser-in whichthe exhaust steam from the main and/or auxiliary engines is condensed and again returned to the hot-well for recirculation to the steam generated boiler.

The principal object of my present invention is to utilize more effectively than heretofore the heat from the exhaust steam from both the main propelling engine and the auxiliary engines.

Heretofore, in steam plants on boats of the type referred to, it has been customary to treat the exhaust of both the main and auxiliary engines in the same manner by introducing the exhaust from these engines directly to the top, or other common inlet point of the surface condenser, and to pump the condensate from the condenser back to the hot-well from which the boiler feed water is recirculated through the boiler. In such an arrangement it will be seen that with a condenser designed to take care of the exhaust from both the main and auxiliary engines at the same time, a greater condenser capacity will be required than when either of these units are operating alone. Therefore, the temperature of the condensate in this latter instance will be reduced to a lower temperature than will be the case when either the'main engine or the auxiliary engines are operating alone.

Therefore, a further object of my invention is to improve the steam condensing apparatus of the power plant by reducing the amount of waste heat and thus increasing the efiiciency of the condenser part of the plant. This is accomplished, as will hereinafter appear, by utilizing only a small portion of the surface condenser for condensing the auxiliary engine exhaust and then introducing this condensate directly into the air pump line where the heat thus saved will be returned to the main engine exhaust condensate.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part evident to those skilled in the art and in part pointed out hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein there is shown by way of illustration and not of limitation a simple and preferred embodiment thereof.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to employ a jet of steam as a vacuum intensifier or augmentor, with a surface condenser, but so far as I know, no one has proposed the arrangement here disclosed, wherein a portion of the exhaust steam is by-passed around a major portion of the surface condenser and introduced into the condensate near the discharge point of the condenser for the purpose of returning the sensible heat thus saved to the air pump line for return to the hot-well to directly increase the temperature of the feed water.

It is well known that the greatest unavoidable loss of heat in a steam power plant of the character contemplated is attributable to the condenser, as the heat absorbed during the condensing operation is pumped over or through the side of the ship with the cooling water, and since this loss is roughly estimated to be about 56% of the total heat in the fuel, itwill be seen that any saving of this heat will-inure directly to the overall efiiciency of the steam power plant.

In the single figure of the drawing my invention is shown as applied to a surface condenser 10 ofthe type having internally arranged longitudinal tubes H through which cooling water is circulated from an inlet conduit l2 to an outlet conduit l3 formed in a header I4 of conventional design at one end thereof. At its other end, the condenser ill is closed by a header I5 to complete the circulating path for the cooling Water. The condenser ID has a main exhaust inlet conduit H5 at its top that is connected directly to the main engine exhaust, and at its bottom there is a condensate conduit H which is connected directly to the suction side of a combined air and condensate pump (not shown). Adjacent the main engine exhaust conduit 16 there is shown an auxiliary exhaust inlet conduit l8 having a valve I9 that connects with an exhaust pipe line 20 into which the several auxiliary engines exhaust. Connected to the auxiliary exhaust line 20 through a valve 2| there is a second auxiliary exhaust inlet conduit 22 that is connected to the bottom of the main condenser IB and extends along the inside thereof, as at 23, and finally discharges into the air and condensate pump suction conduit I], as at the point 24.

With the above illustrated and described arrangement, when the main propulsion engine and one or more of the auxiliary units are in operation, the condenser ill will be operated with the valve I!) closed and the valve 2i opened so as to introduce the exhaust steam from the auxiliary engines directly into the condensate where its sensible heat will serve to raise the temperature of the condensate and not be lost overboard, as above suggested; At the same time, the arrangement shown will permit a use of the entire condenser unit 10 for condensing the auxiliary exhaust should this type of operation be desired. It is also contemplated that the opening of the valves 19 and 2! might be so regulated as to proportion the amount of the auxiliary exhaust steam which is introduced at the two different points of the condenser unit It]. In order to avoid an excessive heating of the air and condensate pump, as in starting up and before the condenser unit In is properly functioning at full capacity, it is also conceivable that the auxiliary exhaust might be introduced in its entirety through the conduit l8 at the top of the condenser unit ID by opening the valve l9 by completely closing the valve 2| in the conduit 22.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose the invention so that the same can be readily understood, described and illustrated a particular arrangement, I desire to have it understood that the invention is not limited to the speci c form disclosed, but may be embodied in other Ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim and desi e to secure by Letters Patent is--- 1. In a steam power plant employing main and auxiliary engines, the combination of a water cooled surface condenser, a main steam exhaust conduit leading to the top of said condenser for the exhaust from the main engine, a condensate conduit leading from the bottom of said condenser, and auxiliary exhaust steam conduit extending into and-for a distance inside of said condenser and terminating within said condensate conduit, whereby sensible heat from said auxiliary exhaust will be returned directly to the condensate within the condenser.

2. In a steam condensing system for a power plant employing main and auxiliary engines, the combination of a Water cooled surface condenser, a steam inlet at the top of said condenser for the exhaust from the main engine, a condensate conduit leading from the bottom of said surface condenser, and a second exhaust steam inlet extending into and along the inside of said surface condenser and terminating in said condensate conduit, whereby sensible heat Will be returned directly from said auxiliary exhaust to said condensate within the condenser.

3. In a steam power plant employing main and auxiliary engines, the combination of a surface condenser, a main engine exhaust conduit connected to the top of said condenser, a conduit at the bottom of said condenser for withdrawing the condensate, and an auxiliary engine exhaust conduit having a portion extending longitudinally inside of and along the bottom of said condenser and adapted to discharge the auxiliary engine exhaust into the condensate conduit at the bottom of said condenser to thereby return the sensible heat of said auxiliary engine exhaust directly to the condensate within the condenser.

4. In a steam condenser system for a power plant having main and auxiliary engines, the combination of a surface condenser of the watercooled type having an outer shell and 1ongitudinally extending cooling water tubes, a main englneexhaust conduit connected to the top of said condenser shell and communicating with the interior thereof, a condensate exhaustconduit connected to the bottom of said shell through which the condensate is withdrawn from said condenser shell, and an auxiliary exhaust conduit extending through said shell and along the inside thereof adjacent the lowermost of said cooling water tubes and discharging into said condensate exhaust conduit, whereby the sensible heat of said auxiliary exhaust will be returned directly to the condensate Within the condenser.

JAMES M. some. 

